Differences are Challenges

What?

“Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri” to all Malaysians, especially my Muslim friends in the United States who are not able to celebrate it with their family this year. I can’t describe how time passes by. It’s really hard to believe that I’m a second-year university student now. I could still remember my first day in kindergarten, seriously. It is almost incredible to see how things have changed all the years. It has also been a month since I came to Blacksburg, Virginia and on have fascinated my roommate with interesting facts about Malaysia.

My cousin's 6th birthday 16 years ago; I am 2nd from right.

So What?

I am not really surprised that most Tech students do not know where Malaysia is. It may be a really small country but those who have visited Malaysia will be surprised how “Americanized” Malaysia is. We have McDonalds’, KFCs, Papa Johns’, Pizza Huts, Subways and Starbucks all over the country. I had a nice chat with my roommate on Thursday and she said it’s weird that Malaysians use the Metric System, and I feel the same about Americans. Honestly, I don’t know my weight and height in pounds and feet. I have no idea how many miles are there in a kilometer and how many ounces are there in liter. When I had a fever, she was shocked when I told her my temperature, and that’s because it’s in degree Celsius. Despite the differences, I know nothing is difficult for me as long as I have the will to learn. Back in my country, I understood that Westerners love the sun very much; they will sunbathe under the scorching sun when Malaysians are practically looking for places with air-conditioner (that’s what I do best). Situated on the equator, my town, Kuantan has the lowest temperatures (20-21°C) during North-East Monsoon season in December, when it rains night and day. If it ever snows, that may be the end of the world.

My ex-roommate's birthday celebration in McDonald's.

With close friends in Pizza Hut.

A highway signboard in Malaysia.

What Now?

I’m happy that my roommate knows more about me and the country I originated from. She might not remember everything, but at least somebody knows about the place where I came from. Of course, I hope more people will come to know more about Malaysia. I will be glad to promote Malaysia to everyone in Tech. For this reason, I am really excited and look forward to the International Street Fair and International Week in Spring next year. My fellow Malaysian graduate friends are really glad that I’m here to help them out. I hope it will be a lot of fun!